A teenage girl finds her way through the stage door and into the inner life of a great orchestra, learning how courage, craft and attention can open rooms that seem shut. Nancy Shear reflects on mentors, trauma, Stokowski’s charisma and the quiet work that shapes sound.
• sneaking into the Academy of Music and earning trust
• learning the orchestra library and serving an apprenticeship
• confidence without permission and Eleanor Roosevelt’s influence
• caregiving at home, trauma, and independence
• music as refuge across classical, pop and Broadway
• first encounters with Stokowski’s charisma and control
• conducting with the eyes and the mystery of communication
• sensory life, hearing a sunrise, painting on silence
• gender dynamics, protection, boundaries and respect
• choosing proximity without losing independence
